Aberdeen-based Verlume and a consortium of partners has developed an autonomous underwater robot that moves like a fish and aims to enable efficient offshore inspection in harsh and hard-to-reach environments.
The agile biomimetic autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), named RoboFish, is made up of several self-contained modules, with a self-managed battery and actuator control to help it move around underwater structures.
RoboFish was initially devised by researchers at the University of York, the Department of Electrical Engineering and the University of Strathclyde, the Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Marine Engineering - with grant support from the EPSRC Supergen Offshore Renewable Energy Hub.
With the limited accessibility, manoeuvrability and environmental impact of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and some larger AUVs, inspection of structures in the underwater environment can be complex, expensive and reliant on human input.
As the number of offshore structures is set to increase significantly with growth in the offshore wind sector, robotic offshore inspections in harsh environments will need to become less reliant on human input and be more cost effective.
The RoboFish research consortium was initially formed of partners Verlume, The University of York, The University of Strathclyde, PicSea, the Supergen ORE Hub, and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.
Through outreach activities, the consortium is expanding. The first RoboFish prototype was completed in the summer of 2020 and research to improve it and apply it to new applications is ongoing.
Dr. Mark Post, lecturer in electronic engineering at the University of York, said: “Through the use of innovative electronics, actuation, networking technology and additive manufacturing techniques, we have been able to develop a modular robot that can move very precisely in challenging offshore environments.
“The collaborative contributions of many partners have been instrumental in creating a practical platform to further develop robotic technologies in this field.”
Verlume is playing a key role in the project, assisting with the development of an intelligent power solution for RoboFish. The company will supply an underwater power system for charging, as well as an integrated intelligent battery management system.
Paul Slorach, business development director at Verlume, said: “With an increasing focus on decarbonisation and the automation of high-risk underwater tasks in the so-called 'blue economy', RoboFish is an example of how these operations can be revolutionised.”
Founded in 2013, the company uses intelligent energy management and storage technologies to enable clean, resilient and integrated energy systems.
Formerly known as EC-OG, Verlume’s Halo technology is a scalable, modular battery energy storage system with integrated energy management, specifically developed for clean energy delivery in the demanding underwater environment.
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